We are seeking a visionary Chief Executive Officer with exceptional leadership qualities to spearhead our charity, Concrete Garden, though a new and exciting period of growth and transformational change. The ideal candidate will be bold and brave and embody a passion for community empowerment and sustainability, driving forward our community’s ambition and charity mission with dedicated commitment and innovative thinking.

This role presents a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact, leading our community and team towards a brighter future for all those we serve.

Overview of the Position:

The Chief Executive Officer will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of Concrete Garden, working closely with the Board of Trustees to ensure the organisation's long-term success and impact.

And leading on the recruitment for a number of new posts to build capacity in leadership and drive forward community growth and regeneration. This position demands a dynamic individual with a proven track record in fundraising, asset management, financial management, strategic planning, and team leadership.

Start Date: Immediate or must be able to start by 27th May for a one-month handover with the incumbent CEO.

Reporting to: The Board of Trustees

With support from the Big Lottery Community Fund and the Glasgow City Council, Community Fund the Concrete Garden is excited to have the opportunity to offer an Urban Growing and Community Development Coordinator role.

Position Summary

This role will support our current Growing Well program, based across two well-established community gardens, the Concrete Garden, and the Back Garden. We work with our community to create spaces which enable people to come together to grow food, develop skills and confidence, make friends, cook, and eat together and participate in a wide range of workshops and volunteering opportunities. In doing so, people are able to nourish themselves, their wellbeing and community.

Both gardens support individual and group plot-holders and run a seasonal program of social and therapeutic sessions, where people are supported to grow their own food, and meet and work alongside others on seasonal activities. The Growing Well program also includes wellbeing workshops supporting skills for wellbeing through simple, budget-friendly, self-care practices, as well as seasonal outdoor cookery, social activities, volunteer action days and taster sessions.

The UGCD Coordinator will both lead and co-facilitate a range of seasonal garden activities as well as support the development of community engagement and outreach activities. They will help provide support for new and existing plot-holders and contribute to the maintenance and care of the growing spaces. Where there is capacity to do so, the UGCD Coordinator will also offer support across other seasonal activities and projects as needed.

Start Date: 1st June 2024

End Date: 31st March 2025

We are looking for a dynamic individual who is driven, visionary, and deeply committed to long-term goals in community youth work and play. The ideal candidate will bring a wealth of lived experience in supporting marginalized communities, championing their voices, and advocating for their needs. They should have a genuine passion for the outdoors and play, recognising the profound impact it has on the lives of children and young people. If you are ready to inspire change and create lasting impact, this is the opportunity for you.

Local Members of Concrete Garden (SC043154) Board of Directors -G20, G21, G22, G23,

Concrete Garden is a community development and wellbeing charity based in Possilpark, North Glasgow, working with communities in the Canal ward area. We exist to support the growth of a happy, healthy, and thriving outdoor community.

“When we spend time outdoors with nature, working, playing, learning, and growing together, we all become happier and healthier”

Our work transforms and regenerates derelict land for community benefit. Over the last 10 years we have created 2 award winning community gardens, and a natural play area. We are progressing plans for of a community land buy out to protect our gardens and expand our Outdoor Play service.

Our work:

• Community Food and Social/Therapeutic Gardens: Community Gardeners, wellbeing/self-care workshops. social and therapeutic horticulture sessions and cookery workshops.

• Outdoor Play and Learning: Delivering 300 outdoor play sessions and diversionary activities each year: Youth volunteering, Holiday outdoor play schemes, woodwork, art clubs, cookery, and bush crafts.

• Volunteer Support and Training: Supporting Volunteers and providing free community based formal and informal training programs.

Our Board

Our trustees are made up from a diverse group of people, those with English as a second language, local people, with a wide range of ages and gender balance. They meet bi monthly, with additional sub groups for special interest/focus areas such as Safeguarding, Finance, Income Generation, Risk, and community land ownership.

To help support the organisation going forward Concrete Garden seeks motivated and capable individuals to join our Board of Directors. As a non-executive member of the Board you will play a central role in developing strategy, monitoring quality and governance and supporting the provision of our services.

You:

We are looking for 2 or 3 individuals who share our vision, have good independent judgement, and the ability to work as part of a diverse team.

We strive to be more representative of the diversity in our local community. Therefor these posts are aimed at the residents of postcodes G20, G21, G22 and G23. We would particularly welcome applications from those who have English as a second language and people 18-30.

Our Board meets around 6 times per year for 2-3 hours on a weekday evening. Although the role is non-remunerated reasonable expenses will be reimbursed with training and induction provided.

We are looking for an experienced and motivated charity finance administrator to join our team.

About Us

Concrete Garden is a community development and wellbeing charity based in Possilpark, North Glasgow. We exist to support the growth of a happy, healthy, and thriving outdoor community and Socio economy. We know that when people spend time outdoors, and with nature, working, playing, learning, and growing together, they become happier, healthier, and more connected.

Our work transforms and regenerates derelict land for community benefit. Over the last 10 years we have created 2 award winning community gardens, and a natural play area. We are progressing plans for a community land buy out to develop our gardens and expand our Outdoor Play service and through the creation of a community owned Adventure playground and outdoor play and learning hub (Est 2023/24).

We strive to create places where people can come together to learn new skills, meet socially, have fun, and find a new purpose. The impact of this through time, has seen people feel empowered to care more for themselves, their community, the environment around them, and each other. Our work covers 3 themes: 1. Community Food and Social/Therapeutic Gardens –-2. Outdoor Play and Learning 3. Volunteer Support and Training. We deliver over 500 sessions/workshops/events/activities each year

Are you interested in using your passion for finance to support community development and wellbeing? If so, this is the job for you. At Concrete Garden, we know that when communities work, play, learn and grow together, we all become happier and healthier. We are seeking a part time finance assistant who shares our passion for creating happy, healthy thriving communities and who is confident and capable of providing robust financial process, guidance, direction and support to our Small Charity and Staff Team.

A Full Job Description is available for download below.

About Us

Concrete Garden is a community development and wellbeing charity based in Possilpark, North Glasgow. We exist to support the growth of a happy, healthy, and thriving outdoor community and Socio economy. We know that when people spend time outdoors, and with nature, working, playing, learning, and growing together, they become happier, healthier, and more connected.

Our work transforms and regenerates derelict land for community benefit. Over the last 10 years we have created 2 award winning community gardens, and a natural play area. We are progressing plans for a community land buy out to develop our gardens and expand our Outdoor Play service and through the creation of a community owned Adventure playground and outdoor play and learning hub (Est 2023/24).

We strive to create places where people can come together to learn new skills, meet socially, have fun, and find a new purpose. The impact of this through time, has seen people feel empowered to care more for themselves, their community, the environment around them, and each other. Our work covers 3 themes: 1. Community Food and Social/Therapeutic Gardens –-2. Outdoor Play and Learning 3. Volunteer Support and Training. We deliver over 500 sessions/workshops/events/activities each year

Overview of the position

This is a new post, developed to support and add capacity to the work of our Chief Executive Officer. Creating a model of lateral leadership for the charity and our staff teams. Responsibilities will include the coproduction and implementation of organisation wide strategic development, administration, Human resource, and fiscal management. Working with The Chief Executive Officer and our Board of Trustees to develop the long-term strategy and business plan for Concrete Garden SC043154.

Daily duties – Provide support and assistance to The Chief Executive Officer in all aspects of the day to day operational, strategic, and financial leadership for our Community Development and Wellbeing charity. Deputise for The Chief Executive Officer in absence.

Concrete Garden is a community development and wellbeing charity based in Possilpark, North Glasgow. We exist to support the growth of a happy, healthy, and thriving community. Over the last 10 years we have transformed and regenerated unloved and unused land – and in its place, as a community we have created 2 community gardens (Concrete Garden and The Back Garden) and an outdoor play area – all are spaces where people of all ages can come together to learn new skills, meet socially, have fun, and find a new purpose. We work across three strategic areas - Community Food and Social/Therapeutic Gardens - Outdoor Play and Learning - Volunteer Support and Training

Our volunteer project was established in 2013. Initially as a shared partnership with 4 local organizations called ‘Do a Little, Change a Lot’ - Over the last 2 years we have consolidated the project to provide direct support to volunteers from Concrete Gardens 3 established projects - The Concrete Garden - The Back Garden - Outdoor Play.

Covid-19 had a huge impact on our volunteer project –2 years on from pausing our volunteer program, and shifting our focus to supporting wellbeing, connection, and essential food provision, we were faced with the reality. Many volunteers had moved on, or had new dependencies/barriers, and existing volunteers had lost confidence or needed skills refreshers. We must now take time to reflect, revitalize, and relaunch our volunteer project. And we need the right person to get us all back on track.

In 2016, after community led consultation and design collaboration with local children, we fundraised and built ‘The Natural Play Area’. We have around 160 children registered to play and deliver 300 plus, play-based activities each year.

Over the last three years we have transitioned from externally contracted play rangers to our own team of 3 part time Outdoor Play and Learning youth workers and 5 sessional Outdoor Play and Learning youth workers. We also have big plans - our current play area has become too small for all the kids who want to play – we have ambitions to take over a large plot of Vacant land next to our current site, and to work with the Children and our community to develop this into a purpose-built adventure playground and outdoor play and learning hub

About You

Do you enjoy developing projects and people? We are looking for an experienced, dynamic, motivated person to work hand in hand with our Play Delivery Manager to develop and grow our sustainable and Innovative Outdoor Play and Learning service for the children and families of Possilpark and the wider Canal ward communities.

• We want someone who is passionate about community development, outdoor play and the essential role this has in children and young people’s lives.
• We want someone who is passionate about development of projects, people, policy and process.

We are looking for a dynamic ‘Outdoor Play and Learning –Youth Worker’ who is ready to take on an exciting new challenge. Our Children want you to be fun, to support them to lead and initiate the play and to share and nurture their passion for nature, the outdoors, play, food, cookery, woodcraft, and building.

We are looking for a playful leader who has a passion for developing potential and who comes with a wealth of skills and experience in play, early years and youth work, project management, people management, operations and logistics.